Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Parental Influence on Children's Musical Lives

Today's post is an abridged version of a overview of research literature on the influence of parental involvement in children's musical lives. The Suzuki Method is built on the strong principle of parent involvement and research shows its benefits in the musical education of children. 

Just a little background on this research - I complied 12 research articles about parental involvement in children's musical lives, analyzed and compared the data, and drew conclusions from the results of each individual study. Below you will find a summary of the information from 3 of those 12 articles. 

This post is very research-y! But the results are fascinating and very applicable to our lessons! If you'd like to read a copy of the full paper I wrote, click here. 

Why is there a need for this research?

• Researchers are conducting studies in the field of education to document the effects of parental involvement on children's success in school - music learning is similar, so why not apply it to music learning?
• Support is vital for children in learning environments and that includes music
• Parent involvement is multi-faceted and various studies have been shown to have varying outcomes. This makes findings difficult to generalize so many studies need to be conducted
• Enhance educational outcomes for students through the informed use of parent involvement

Summary of the Literature

Parents influence their children in many ways and the particular support they can provide may have a major influence on the nature and form of a child’s accomplishments. A growing body of research suggests that parents might support children in persisting in learning musical instruments and developing musical expertise. Research reveals the value of collaborative learning for the child with other family members to assist in the development of  higher levels of competence in cognitive and social skills. Researchers who examined the learning of instrumental music have also investigated selected aspects of parental involvement as it relates to musical performance and music achievement. 

Research Studies

1. The role of parental influences in the development of musical performance. 
Davidson, J. W., Howe, M. J, Moore, D. G., Sloboda, J. A. (1996). Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Sample

• 257 children, ages 8-18 
• Divided into 5 groups based on different levels of musical competence
• experience ranges from children attending a specialist music school (like a fine arts academy) to children who stopped learning an instrument at least 1 year prior to being interviewed. 

Methodology

• Each child and at least one parent were independently interviewed by one of the authors. 

Results

• In general, the group of children at the specialist music school (Group 1) were rated as having significantly higher parental involvement than the groups of children who either never considered taking the instrument seriously or gave up learning and instrument (Groups 4 & 5).
• Between the ages 3-11 the average level of parental involvement in lessons was highest in Group 1 and lowest in Groups 4 and 5.  
• There was no significant group differences in parental involvement over the ages 12-14 and 15-17 years => parental involvement decreases as students gain more independence
• There were no differences between the groups in terms of the parent’s role in initiating practice. All children needed to be reminded to practice. (it's not just your child!!!)
• The more skilled the children were in music, the higher the parental involvement in lessons and practice. 
• However,  Groups 3 & 4 showed intermediate levels of involvement which increases in subsequent years. Group 5 shows consistently low levels of involvement.  

Parental Behaviors

• The mothers of Group 1 children were more involved in listening and playing music than the mothers of children in the other groups.  It is noted that the parents in Group 1 were not, in general, performing musicians - they do no more than listen to music at home. 
• The parents of Groups 1 & 2 are slightly involved in music, but become more involved as their child’s interest grows. 
• Group 3 parents are somewhat less involved in music than Group 1 & 2 parents, but also become more involved during the child’s period of learning. 
• In Groups 4 & 5 the parental interest in music is minimal and there is no increase in this interest as a result of the child’s involvement in music-making.

Conclusions and The Take-Away

• All students need to be reminded to practice, just like all children need to be reminded to brush their teeth. 
• Parent behaviors, in terms of involvement in practice and musical activities, was strongly correlated with student success and and musical competence. 

2. Parental involvement, selected student attributes, and learning outcomes in instrumental music
Zdzinski, S. F. (1996). Journal of Research in Music Education.

Sample

• 397 instrumental students from grades 4-12

Methodology & Measurements

• Used a variety of tests to measure affective outcomes, cognitive musical achievement, performance achievement, performance evaluation, parental involvement and music aptitude.

Results

• Parental involvement is related to instrumental music outcomes and found to be significantly related to affective, cognitive and performance outcomes (students attitudes, knowledge and skills)
• Affective outcome relationships increased in strength as subject age increased however the opposite was the case for cognitive and performance outcomes. 
• Cognitive and performance outcomes were only significantly related to parental involvement at elementary school levels and was not related at either the middle school or high school levels. 
• When grade-level correlations between performance scores and the parent involvement scale are examined, parental involvement was not found to be significantly related at the secondary levels but was significantly related at the elementary level. 
• The strongest relationship was found between parental involvement and student attitudes

Conclusions and The Take-Away

• Not all outcomes are the same - this is hard to measure 
• However, the researcher found a strong relationship between the involvement of parents and the student's attitudes towards music learning. 

3. Learning a musical instrument: the case for parental support. Creech, A. (2010). Music Education Research. 

Sample

• 263 violin teachers, 352 parents, 337 children (all of whom studied the violin) 

Methodology

• The views of parents, pupils and teachers were elicited via the ‘Survey of Parents’ Views’, ‘Survey of Pupil Attitudes to Learning the Violin’ and the ‘Survey of Teacher Attitudes’ developed for this study. 
• The researcher investigated interactions and interpersonal dynamics outcomes for parents, teachers and children based on information from the surveys. 

Results

• The results indicated that generally parents did provide relatively high levels of behavioral support. Behavioral support was at its highest when children were 9-11 years old. 
• Parents that took a substantial amount of responsibility in the lessons provided their children with the highest amount of behavioral (monitors practice, attends lessons) and personal support (offers help). 
• Parents did prioritize providing resources for learning in the home, encouraged extra-curricular musical activities and supported their children by attending their concerts. 
• Cognitive/intellectual support was at it’s highest for the oldest group of students. 
• Personal support included variables that indicated parents were interested in their children’ s goals and views, rewarded their children with praise and were aware of dynamics between the child and the teacher. 

Conclusions and The Take-Away

• Creech examined the dynamics between parent and child as well as parent-child-teacher, very similar to the Suzuki Triangle. She identified different interactions and interpersonal dynamics between parents, children and teachers and examined how those interactions influenced students' enjoyment of music, personal satisfaction, motivation, self-efficacy and self-esteem.
• As noted in previous studies, the results showed vastly different outcomes for students. No one interaction was clearly superior though certain types of interactions to avoid are suggested

General Conclusions

All three studies show the positive effects of parental support in music lessons. Parental support is necessary to developing successful musical skills. 

• The Davidson, et al, study shows that successful music students have the highest level of parental support in music. 
• Zdzinski’s study shows that parental involvement and attitudes have an effect on student attitudes and affective outcomes in music. This alone indicates that parental support shapes a student’s attitude toward music. 
• Creech’s studies show that specific parent-teacher-student interactions have specific outcomes on student’s musical ability.  

Together, these three studies validate the need for parent support and briefly highlight what types of support is most effective during which age as well as which particular interactions facilitate and yield success. All three studies, with different designs and methods, yield results that validate the wisdom that parents play an important role in children’s motivation, attitudes and achievement. 

References

Creech, A. (2010). Learning a musical instrument: the case for parental support. Music Education Research, 12 (1), 13-32.

Davidson, J. W., Howe, M. J, Moore, D. G., Sloboda, J. A. (1996). The role of parental influences in the development of musical performance. Journal of Developmental Psychology, 14, 399-412.

Zdzinski, S. F. (1996). Parental involvement, selected student attributes, and learning outcomes in instrumental music. Journal of Research in Music Education, 44, 34-48.

Fall Recital!

Another wonderful recital!!! Looking forward to the next one already!

Music Activities Outside Private Lessons

I've mentioned previously in many posts that a large component of the Suzuki philosophy is the benefits of social interaction with other students in a musical learning environment. Below are three different opportunities available in Austin for group music learning.

String Project
The University of Texas String Project is a large program run by Dr. Laurie Scott and a faculty of music students in the Butler School of Music. There are two distinct but related programs within the String Project (SP). One is the full-time program in which students take weekly private lessons with one of the String Project faculty members as well as participates in the weekly Saturday classes . Saturday-Only students participate in Saturday classes but have a teacher (such as myself) outside of SP. 

SP runs on the same schedule as UT so the semesters are more condensed than a typical school semester - the fall classes run from September through the first week of December and the spring classes run from January through the first week of May. Plan on approximately 12 group classes per semester, taking into account holidays and spring break. 

A typical Saturday schedule looks like this:
10-10:50 Group Class (by ability)
11-11:50 Musicianship Class

Group classes are separated by ability. Preschool aged beginners participate in the Cadet Program. Older beginners are placed in either the Pre-Ensemble A or Pre-Ensemble B (PEA & PEB). PEA is for beginners aged 6 and up & PEB is for students who have some playing experience and are playing the early Suzuki pieces, such as Twinkle, French Folk Song and Lightly Row. PEA & PEB has all string instruments in the one ensemble - it is a heterogenous ensemble so your child will be playing with violins, violas, other cellos and basses. It's an introduction to playing in a mixed group. 

However, Beginning Cello Ensemble A and Beginning Cello Ensemble B (BCEA & BCEB), the next higher ensemble above PEA & PEB, are homogenous group classes that have only cello students participating. This is very much like a traditional Suzuki group class. 

Above BCEA & BCEB, students go into the orchestras. You can read more about the different orchestra on the SP website here. 

If your child participates in orchestra, the schedule is slightly different (and a longer morning): 
9-9:50 Technique & Repertoire Class for each orchestra (separated by instrument)
10-10:50 Orchestra (there are 4 different orchestras based on ability level)
11-11:50 Musicianship Class

The Musicianship classes are organized by age, not by ability, and the curriculum features age-appropriate musical activities, such as music and movement for younger children and music reading, music theory and composition for older children. 

In addition to group classes, student participate in a variety of different performance opportunities at String Project. There is a performance at the end of every semester and the fall semester includes an Eclectic Styles Festival featuring a different style of music outside of the traditional 'classical'. 

There are limited number of spaces however, as of publication of this post, I believe there are still spaces available for Saturday-only students. The space fluctuates from year to year based on the number of teachers on faculty in the program. All the teachers at UT students and vary from undergraduate music education students, to PhD and doctoral students. 

Students interested in participating must audition for the director of the program but it's a very relaxed and easy audition - Dr. Scott just wants to make sure each student goes into the appropriate group class. If you are interested in participating in SP, contact them via email or phone (listed below). Also, talk with me! I taught in String Project while I was at UT, I know many of the teachers and keep in contact with the director. In addition, I know the ins and outs of the program and can help with the application and audition process. 

string_project@mail.music.utexas.edu
(512) 471-0363
https://stringproject.music.utexas.edu/

Austin Youth Orchestra

Austin Youth Orchestra (AYO) is an orchestra program for students aged kindergarten through grade 12. There are 6 different orchestras to accommodate different levels of experience, playing ability, and age:

• Symphony Orchestra: Grade 8 and above, String/Full Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
• Philharmonic Orchestra: Grade 6 and above, String/Full Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
• Sinfonietta Orchestra: Grade 4 and above, String Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
• Camerata Orchestra: Grade 3 and above, String Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
• Intermezzo Orchestra: Grade 2 and above, String Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
• Concertante Orchestra: Kindergarten and above, String Orchestra (Spring only)
• Refer to the website for more information about each level. 

The big qualifier for participating in an AYO ensemble is music reading experience. SP and the GASA Suzuki Institute (more info below) do not reading music reading experience. However, AYO does, even for the youngest orchestra. Though only limited music reading experience is needed, students need to have some experience and be playing in Suzuki Book 1. Each orchestra meets once a week at a location in Austin (usually at one of the middle or high schools) and give performances on a regular basis. In order to participate, students must audition for orchestra placement. The audition requirements is performing a polished solo but scales and sight-reading may also be required. The cost of participating in AYO is $100 per semester. 

Greater Austin Suzuki Association Institute
The GASA Suzuki Institute is a week-long, summer Suzuki 'camp' for students of all ages and ability. The website says it best: 

"The program is designed for violin, viola and cello students who currently study through the Suzuki Method, offering activities for students, parents, and teachers.  Families attend the Institute together and participate in a wide range of musical and enrichment activities including master classes, repertoire classes, group classes, orchestra, recitals, and much more!"

Students participate in masterclass-style lessons (individual instruction within a small group), group class, performances and elective classes in addition to daily recitals and other enrichment activities with teachers from both the Austin-area as well as outside Austin. Every year, the faculty is a little different. See a sample schedule here. There are also lectures geared towards parents as well as training opportunities for teachers. The catch: parents must attend with their children all day. It's much like a Suzuki lesson - parents attend, take notes and learn what to practice with their child at the end of the day.

While this particular institute is conveniently located in Austin, there are many, many across the country and globe every summer. If you are looking to make a family vacation out of it, there are many options. The Chicago Suzuki Institute is an AWESOME institute for cello students - there are students of all ages and abilities, from pre-Twinkle past Book 10. Similarly, the National Cello Institute in Claremont, California features classes and activities for students of all ages (adults, too!) and abilities. Others include, Hawaii, Colorado, Canada, etc. The Suzuki Association of the Americas website has a list of every institute across the Americas. 

For 2015, the Austin Suzuki Institute will be held on July 28 through August 1. Tuition for the programs starts at $450 (for early bird registration). 

All of these opportunities are enriching, rewarding, and enjoyable and provide students with a unique opportunity to learn music and participate in musical activities with their peers. I hope your children are able to participate in some of these and experience the many benefits of group class

My Philosophy

The last few posts have been about the Suzuki Method and philosophy and vision of Dr. Suzuki. But I'd also like to share with you my own philosophy. 

I am Suzuki cello teacher but, in addition to following the Suzuki method and upholding the philosophy, I strive to be a master teacher for my students. My vision of a master teacher is not only a thoughtful teacher of the instrument and the required skills needed to play it, but more importantly, a master teacher also teaches the skills necessary for lifetime of learning. I seek to be the teacher that guides and nurtures students to be independent, successful and caring human beings while simultaneously teaching the cello. 

As a Suzuki teacher,  I whole-heartedly follow the Suzuki philosophy. Those philosophical statements include:

• Every child can learn: “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed” (Suzuki). My studio is open to students of all abilities. I teach the child, not the cello. 
• Develop character first, then ability: “Teaching music is not my main purpose, I want to make good citizens” (Suzuki). My focus is not on making great musicians, just great people.
• Nurturing other individuals and providing a positive and safe learning environment: “Where love is deep, much will be accomplished” (Suzuki).  

Fostering and guiding my students toward independence is crucial not only for developing functional musicians but also develops healthy autonomy and self-determination that will serve them well throughout their entire lives, both within and outside musical experiences. I strive to be a nurturing, knowledgeable and insightful teacher. I have a tremendous love of and respect for students young and old, and highly value their education and development. Margaret Rowell, a prominent cello pedagogue and developed many of the first cello activities and songs, was known for saying “I don’t teach the cello because the cello can’t learn! I teach the human being.” She taught not just cello technique but encouraged her students to be vibrant, interesting and engaged people. I hope to make a positive contribution not only to my students and the music community but I also hope to create through my teaching engaged, artistic, caring, questioning and inquisitive people who are lifelong lovers and participants in the arts.

When asked what “to educate” means, many people reply it is a synonym for teach. However, the Latin origin for “educate” is educere, meaning to lead forward. Therefore, “to educate,” in a larger perspective, means to guide a student toward the right course. An educatio is one who rears or nurtures, who guides students in the correct direction with the skill, insight, dexterity and independence needed for their endeavors in life. In my teaching, my overarching, all-encompassing goal is for my students to become independent and critically thinking adults. This outcome is achieved by fostering my students to ultimately make their own musical decisions about piece selection, phrasing, bowings, fingerings, etc., develop effective practice skills and discriminate their playing and make adjustments accordingly. 

I have specific learning goals for my students that are both musical in nature and non-musical that help attain student independence. Every student, regardless of ability, is held to the same musical goals and as a result of my teaching, my students will play with a consistently clear, rich and beautiful tone, secure intonation, a solid technical foundation, sense of rhythm and pulse, agile and organized left hand, fluency and mastery of a variety of bow strokes and demonstrate competency and functionality in a variety of different musical settings and contexts. All of these skills help develop a functional musician. In addition to the many musical goals, I also consider and structure learning sequences that address non-musical goals for my students, including character development, independence, responsibility, discipline, perseverance, diligence, time-management and problem-solving skills. 

To achieve these musical goals and outcomes, I have developed a very specific approach to teaching and learning the cello. My approach is first and foremost very structured and organized. I have a clear goal in mind for each individual student as well as specific goals and outcomes for individual pieces. Although I predominantly use the Suzuki repertoire as my core curriculum, I supplement my students’ learning with other repertoire within their technical capabilities that allows students to be successful, confident, and comfortable performers. 

While I encourage my students to be lifelong learners, I also hold myself to the same standard. I regularly attend professional conferences, workshops or teacher training programs. I especially enjoy being part of a teaching community with a a culture of collaboration and common goals in a teaching setting that fosters the potential of every child Some of my most enjoyable group class experiences have been in collaboration with another teacher of a different instrument, from designing effective lesson plans and logical sequences to leading students through class activities. 

I strive to be a nurturing, knowledgeable and insightful teacher. I have a tremendous love of and respect for students young and old, and highly value their education and development. I hope to make a positive contribution not only to my students and the music community but I also hope to create engaged, artistic, caring, questioning and inquisitive people who are lifelong lovers and participants in the arts through my teaching.

Why the Suzuki Method works, why I love it and it's benefits

Why the Suzuki Method works

In my opinion, one way is because the method is based on the simple language learning premise. All children, Dr. Suzuki observed, learn to speak their native language with ease. This happens through constant repetition combined with constant immersion in the language, encouragement and reinforcement. This makes so much sense to me - music is a language so why not teach it similarly to the way we learn our native language? I believe it's a brilliant premise and has been proven successful for decades since the founding of the method. 

Also, the Suzuki Method is a highly organized, methodical and thoughtful approach to learning an instrument. The repertoire is sequentially presented and begins with developing, solidifying and refining the foundation skills needed for students to be successful long-term. Then the method builds on those skills as the repertoire progresses. The Twinkles take so long to get through because there are so many skills that need to be learned and automatized before moving on. Twinkle IS the foundation of the student's cello playing. From there, skills are layered on top of those that are already solid. Much like building a house, you don't want to start on weak foundation or everything will come crashing down sooner or later.

Also, the Suzuki Method de-emphasizes the notion that children need to be "talented" or show promise in musical ability or aptitude.  Not only is every child is capable of learning a musical instrument but every child also has the capacity to truly excel at learning a musical instrument. Ability is learned, not innate. 

There has been much research on the topic of developing ability and is most commonly known as the 10,000 Hours of Practice or the 10,000 Hour Rule. Granted, my goal isn't to make master cellists and there are many other facets needed to achieve excellence in any field but the point is: practice and repetition of skills, not natural talent, yields progress, improvement and ability. 

Parent involvement has been shown in a number of studies in general education to be extraordinarily beneficial for students. The same goes for music. Parent involvement is a big component in the Suzuki Method because it works. Parents are the home teacher and act as a second set of eyes to help guide the student through the practice. The parent knows what to fix, how to fix it and deeply understands the music learning process at any given level. Also, the time spent in lessons and in home practice is arguably some of the highest quality time spent between parent and child. Though there may be many tense moments, the teamwork between parent and child is beautiful and creates a stronger bond and relationship. I am in awe whenever I see that teamwork unfold in the lessons and get to witness first hand what parent and child can do together.

Students taking Suzuki lessons learn to sing and play beautiful music from the beginning. Additionally, surrounding the student in beautiful music, immersing them in the qualities that move us and constantly honing the ability to recreate those qualities reinforces creating beautiful music. The lessons aren't focused solely on building technique and skills with scales and etudes. That isn't to say students do not do scales, etudes and all the wonderful technique builders, but the focus is never solely on those aspects. The focus is always on playing beautiful music with a beautiful sound all developed from within the child and nurtured from an early age.

Why I love it

I love it because it’s an organized, sequential method that still leaves a lot of room to do supplemental pieces or technique. It's a structured yet flexible approach. But the emphasis is never taken away from learning to play beautifully. 

The Suzuki Method offers students a unique experience from the very start: social interaction with their peers in a musical setting. Some of my favorite moments throughout my years of playing the cello are being with friends in an rehearsal or getting together and playing music before dinner. Additionally, students learn from this social interaction; they learn by observing other children learn, just like they learn language from their parents as babies. 

Also, the principle of repetition falls perfectly in-line with behavioral psychology. Learning and repetition of a skill until it is automatic changes the brain physiology so I am literally changing your child’s brain, which I think is so cool! 

Lastly, Suzuki isn't all about teaching your child how to play the cello. It's about teaching your child. Suzuki has given me the amazing and wonderful opportunity to work with your children, struggle with them and watch them grow into amazing little human beings. Margaret Rowell, a well-known cello pedagogue, was known for saying “I don’t teach the cello because the cello can’t learn! I teach the human being.” She taught not just cello technique but also encouraged her students to be vibrant, interesting and engaged people. I love being able to teach the instrument and the required skills needed to play it, but more importantly, I relish in being able to teach skills necessary for lifetime of learning. The benefits of the Suzuki Method are extraordinary. Which leads me to...

The benefits

Hard work, Character and Grit. 

Arguably, students can gain this from many other domains, such as sports or other arts. But it is amazing to struggle with a student and work together with the parent on 'getting' something - a skill, a musical phrase, a concept - and then see it just click. The epiphany, the relief and the joy is such a rewarding experience not only for the student, but also the parent and myself. The lessons learned from pushing through and working hard even when discouraged are priceless. Developed from that is an aspect of character called grit, or the ability to sustain interest in and effort toward goals, especially those that are long-term. Additionally, there is a fair amount of research on grit and how it is a better predictor academic performance than IQ scores, which again further strengthens Suzuki's character development philosophy.  

Self-Discipline & Self- Motivation

Related to grit is the self-discipline and self-motivation students develop as a result of this long-term process. It's a beautiful moment when I get to see a child motivated to fix a problem and the self-discipline and perseverance to keep at it and see it through. This discipline and motivation doesn't come naturally immediately. Just like we are developing ability through regular lessons, we are also developing these aspects of character throughout the whole process.

Focus

Learning to play a musical instrument is no easy feat. I'm asking your child to do an incredibly difficult thing. The attention span and focus needed for learning an instrument is enormous. In addition, there are a number of different ways I'm asking your child to focus. Performing for an audience requires a different kind of focus than getting that darn first finger in place 7 times in a row. Not only does your child learn how to intensely attend to one task for varying amounts of time, your child also learns how to focus in a variety of different capacities. 

Most importantly, learning an instrument requires both quality focus and full, deliberate attention. Daniel Goleman, an influential psychologist, writes that "paying full attention seems to boost the mind’s processing speed, strengthen synaptic connections, and expand or create neural networks for what we are practicing. At least at first. But as you master how to execute the new routine, repeated practice transfers control of that skill from the top-down system for intentional focus to bottom-up circuits that eventually make its execution effortless. At that point you don’t need to think about it - you can do the routine well enough on automatic." 

Focus is needed at first. Intense, deliberate and quality focus. But then it becomes easier, easier and eventually automatic. Just like learning how to hold the bow. No part of holding the bow is natural, but after a period of very deliberate and focused practice, it becomes easier. Down the road, picking up a bow is very easy, natural and automatic.

Expertise & Accomplishment

When most musicians graduate high school, they are experts in their field already. Think about that. How many 18-year-olds go to college already an expert in their field? How many have logged thousands upon thousands of hours of practice, have experienced the professional world first hand and have a lengthy C.V. and list of accomplishments? Not many. But musicians do.

Even children experience this level of expertise from a very young age in Suzuki lessons. By the end of Book 1, your child is an expert at Twinkle. At the end of Book 3, your child sounds no different from the Suzuki recordings of Twinkle - the differences are imperceptible. Every skill at every stage is mastered. 

Related to expertise is the level of accomplishment a student experiences from the completion of a task, whether it's from a successful recital performance, from overcoming a challenge or practicing Go Tell Aunt Rhody 100 times. Students get to witness firsthand the direct relationship between their hard work and their resulting accomplishments.

Problem-solving skills

One very valuable aspect of learning is muddling through problems on your own. Students learn deeper and learning is strengthened by working through problems independently. I structure and facilitate moments in the lessons often for students to work through a problem and try to find a solution while I help guide them in the right direction, mediate frustration and, sometimes, soothe tears. Those often uncomfortable moments are priceless in the grand scheme of learning and life experiences for students. Those moments stick with them for a lifetime. 

I could write much more about all of these above topics. In addition, there is so much great literature about there topics in other domains and multiple domains. I hope to return to many of these topics more in depth at a later time, so stay tuned!